1954 Hague Convention (UPSC Current Affairs)

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Why in the news?

• In light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recently pitchedfor protective measures to preserve Ukraine's endangered cultural heritage.
• To prevent deliberate or accidental damage, the agency is marking cultural sites and monuments in Ukraine with the distinctive "Blue Shield" emblem of the 1954 Hague Convention for Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

What is the background of the 1954 Hague Convention?

• Background: Throughout history, armed conflicts have always caused havoc on people's lives. In addition to the humanitarian losses, conflicts have resulted in large scale destruction ofcultural heritage, weakening the basis of communities, lasting peace, and the prospects of reconciliation.
• The Convention for Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was adopted in 1954 under the auspices of UNESCO, considering that the preservation of the cultural heritage is of great importance for all people around the world and thus needs universal protection.
• This convention is known as the 1954 Hague Convention.
• It is the first and most comprehensive multilateral treaty exclusively dedicated to the protection of cultural heritage in times of peace as well as armed conflict.
• Aim: The convention seeks to protect cultural property such as architectural, artistic, or historical monuments, archaeological sites, works of art, manuscripts, books, and other objects of artistic, historical, or archaeological interest, as well as scientific collections of any kind, regardless of origin or ownership.
• India is a party to the Hague Convention of 1954.

What is meant by the Blue Shield Emblem?

• Article 6 of the 1954 Hague Convention provides that cultural property may bear a distinctive emblem so as to facilitate its recognition.
• The Blue Shield which is formerly known as the International Committee of the Blue Shield was founded in 1996.
• It is a non-governmental, non-profit international organization dedicated to the protection of heritage across the world.
• The Blue Shield network is often regarded as the cultural equivalent of the Red Cross.
• Function: The Blue Shield is a global network of dedicated individuals committed to protecting the world's cultural heritage from threats such as armed conflict and natural disasters.
• Monuments, museums, archaeological sites, archives, libraries, and audio-visual material, as well as significant natural areas and intangible heritage, are all included.
• Some states have refused to mark their cultural property, arguing that doing so would make it more vulnerable to attack by an enemy determined to destroy its symbols of national identity.
• Unfortunately, this was the situation during the war in the former Yugoslavia, when a cultural property with the Blue Shield was deliberately targeted.

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